The London Assembly has called for the Mayor to restart HS2 planning, so we dig into Crossrail 2 – and how construction has already (sort of) started. Martin has been down in the dumps, literally, and has been figuring out why Oxfordshire has an enormous pile of rubbish dumped just off the A34. We have a very quick chat with Chris Curtis MP, who has been down to Ebbsfleet to see where the ‘jumping spiders’ have thwarted building a major new town centre. And we speak to Laura Ryan from the Tony Blair Institute about her important new paper, proposing new national laboratories designed to create new ‘disruptive’ technologies.James’s piece on how he uses AI (and why the haters are wrong) is here.You can find Martin’s newsletter here, and his YouTube channel here.Our episode where we have a big fight about AI is here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
We dig into the findings from the Independent Nuclear Taskforce led by John Fingleton, on why Britain is so bad at building nuclear energy, and what we can do to fix it. And we speak to Shadow Secretary of State For Energy Security and Net Zero, Claire Coutinho, about why she has taken the abundance pill, why she advocates making energy cheap – and why she wants to repeal the Climate Change Act.You can find Martin’s newsletter here, and his YouTube channel here.James’s piece on why everyone is getting the new Twitter geolocation feature wrong is here, and what he liked – and loathed – about the Budget here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
Martin digs into fascinating new public opinion research from CaSE about attitudes towards research and development. James looks at newly announced planning changes to make it easier to build near train stations – and why the government wants to stop theatres from vetoing development. And we speak to Fabian Chessell from the DATA Alliance about why the government needs to get better at sharing data… with itself.Martin’s fantastic video on the HS2 ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ is here, and his newsletter is here.James’s piece on why he’s worried about who follows Starmer is here.Tym’s piece on self-driving cars is here.Morgan Wild on municipal bond markets is here.Relevant previous episodes:* Our interview with CaSE’s Alicia Greated – which also features a section on the Cambridge Sewage Works we mentioned.* Why Fabian made a deep-cut reference to Old Bridge Way.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
James explains why Manchester should bid for the Olympics as an insurance policy for Northern Powerhouse Rail. And we speak to architect Ivan Jordan about why the way we protect historic buildings is broken – and why the listed system needs replacing.James’s newsletter is here.Martin’s newsletter is here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
Martin makes the surprisingly persuasive case for building a tunnel to the Isle of Wight. And we speak to Ed Jennings, founder and editor of Kent Current about the maddening story of how NIMBY concerns killed a significant battery storage facility, and just how much worse Reform is making things in Kent, now that the party is in charge of Kent County Council. The answer might surprise you!You can find James’s newsletter here, and Martin’s newsletter here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
Martin tells us the jaw-dropping story of a bridge built for HS2 which is even more egregious than the infamous bat tunnel. This is seriously not to be missed. James explains how a clever new database could make driving much less annoying. And we speak to Lord Ben Gascoigne, Chairman of the Built Environment Select Committee in the House of Lords, about the findings from the first module of the inquiry into New Towns.You can find Martin’s newsletter, which includes his post on the Bridge to Nowhere – and many pictures – here.James’s newsletter and post on digital traffic orders is here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
We make the case for new build houses, explaining why they’re so much better than people think, and why you can save frankly an astonishing amount of money on energy bills. Then, relatedly, we speak to Barratt Redrow CEO David Thomas about how volume house-builders navigate Britain’s notorious planning laws, and his pitch for how building on existing carparks could unlock over 700,000 new homes.You can find James’s newsletter, and piece on digital traffic orders here.Martin’s newsletter is here, and he’ll be posting his piece on boomers this week.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
Martin describes how NIMBY activists in Cambridgeshire have destroyed a popular ‘cow experience’ – and what it says about our relationship with the countryside. James looks at the potential for chaos following the introduction of the European Entry/Exit System, and explains why the way we handle cross-channel freight traffic is broken – and how to fix it. Plus we speak to Tym Syrytczyk from Paradigm Junction about whether Britain is ready for the imminent self-driving car revolutionJames’s piece explaining why a wealth tax isn’t credible is here.James also wrote-up his take on cross-channel freight here (free to read!).Martin’s piece on national service for boomers will be here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
Martin tells the extraordinary story of how Natural England appears to have assumed absolute power to stop all development in West Sussex… because of some pesky snails. James looks at shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho’s conference speech, and is pleasantly surprised. And we speak to Praful Nargund from the Good Growth Foundation about how four rapid reforms that can unblock house building, and the case for re-opening cross-channel rail services in Kent.Michael Dnes’s incredible/maddening post about snails in Sussex is here.The excellent blog Simonicity, which Martin mentions is here.You can watch Claire Coutinho’s Tory conference speech here.James’s newsletter is here.Martin’s newsletter is here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
We dig into the recommendations of the government’s New Town taskforce – and explore the twelve locations that have been selected for a new generation of New Towns. Martin takes the Guardian’s NIMBY nonsense to task – and wonders if nature activists actually know what nature is. Plus we speak to Kane Emerson about the plan for the new town of Tempsford – and how it could be under construction by the end of this Parliament.The New Town Taskforce’s full report is here.Kane’s paper on the case of Tempsford is here.The maddening Guardian ‘Green to Grey’ piece is here.James’s piece on the ‘NIMBY charter’ is here (and the short piece on HIGNFY is here).Martin’s newsletter is here – he’ll be dropping something later this week.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
We get mad about a new document published by the government that seems like a beginners guide to jamming up the build-out of new energy infrastructure. And we speak to the amazing YouTuber CityEd, all about architecture, urban design, and how to build liveable cities.James has written an accompanying piece about the NIMBY charter here.James’s piece about Liam Byrne – and whether he’s had his Weetabix is here.Martin’s newsletter is here.You can read the CIA field manual here.Our previous episode mentioned by Ed, featuring Sally Gimson talking HS2 is here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
James looks at the big US-UK nuclear agreement, and explores some of the exciting nuclear projects that might happen here because of it. Martin explains the 18 year long redevelopment sage playing out in Bristol, where plans have been consistently derailed by a single barge. And then we speak to Michael Jenner, CEO of Last Energy UK, the nuclear firm building a nuclear reactor at the London Gateway port.Our episode with former nuclear minister Lord Hunt can be heard here.James’s piece on racism and the anti-asylum protests is here.Martin’s newsletter is here.Pre-order Hayley Gullen’s book, This Might Surprise You, here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
Martin tells us about his trip to see one of HS2’s ‘green tunnels’ under construction – and why digging a cut-and-cover tunnel is so much more complex than it sounds. James explains why the Sunday trading laws might be about to change – and why he’s going to unjustifiably take credit for it, if it happens.And we speak to Simon Dudley, chair of the Representative Planning Group about how the new group is hoping to bring better data to planning fights. (Plus a little about his former roles, as Chair of Homes England and Ebbsfleet Development Corporation.)James’s piece on the Cambridge sewage works is here.Martin’s newsletter is here.The Grocer’s reporting on Sunday trading is here. (James’s piece on Sunday trading is here.)Note: The interview at the end was recorded before Angela Rayner resigned, so just mentally substitute every mention of “Angela Rayner” with “Steve Reed”, and it still makes total sense.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
How Angela Rayner’s department killed a major new brownfield housing development in Cambridge – and how her replacement Steve Reed might be able to undo this terrible mistake. Plus Martin discovers that Reform in Lincolnshire is building its own bat tunnel.And we speak to Dr Alicia Greated, executive director of the Campaign for Science and Engineering about industrial policy and how even Reform voters might support immigration for R&D jobs.Check out CaSE’s immigration and industrial strategy papers.James’s piece on the Cambridge sewage works and how Steve Reed could reverse Angela Rayner’s worst decision is here.Martin’s piece on the Lincolnshire bat tunnel will be here.James’s piece on why a ‘Fare Free London’ is basically unworkable is here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
Martin looks at the BBC’s coverage of the Universal theme park and asks… why is it so weirdly negative? James reminds everyone about Eurostar’s forgotten stations – in Ebbsfleet and and Ashford, which haven’t seen international trains since 2020. And we speak to Sally Gimson about her new book Off The Rails: The Inside Story of HS2 (out now!).The Good Growth Foundation’s report on re-opening Ashford is here.Starmer shouldn't give a conference speech – he should give an Apple-style keynote (by James)Martin’s piece on the BBC’s Universal coverage will be here.Our previous coverage of Old Bridge Way, with lots more context, is here.Martin’s amazing expose of the attempts to delay HS2 in Wendover can be heard here.And previous coverage of the Universal theme park is here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
On The Abundance Agenda this week:* James talks about ‘London Unchained’, a new paper by Labour Together and the YIMBY Alliance that figures out how we could actually pay for the much-needed Bakerloo line extension, level-up the north, and protect the credibility of the public finances… all at the same time!* And we speak to Sam Freedman, author of the Comment is Freed newsletter, about what the ‘Abundance’ view is missing, how to shift political incentives towards building – and playing Civilisation with his dad.The Labour Together/YIMBY Alliance paper, ‘London Unchained’, can be found here.James’s write up on the paper, with his own thoughts is here.Martin’s newsletter is here.Sam’s excellent book, Failed State is essential reading and can be found here.The episode about Dobbins Lane we mentioned is here, and the one where we talk about Northern Powerhouse Rail is here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
On The Abundance Agenda this week:* Can deleting emails and photos really save water? James unpacks possibly the worst government advice ever published.* Martin pitches a bold new strategy for wiping out obesity and saving the NHS billions of pounds.* And we speak to Ruth Cadbury, Chair of the Transport Select Committee in Parliament, about integrated journeys, HS2, autonomous cars… and James’s e-scooter problem.Andy Masley’s debunk of the government’s water advice is here.Natasha Loder and Peter Singer on generic semaglutide is here.The Transport Committee’s inquiry on joined-up journeys is here.James’s piece on how he still thinks AI will eat the world is here.Martin on Plato vs Grok is here.James’s piece on the Sunday trading poll is here.Our earlier episode on the two new reservoirs that are being built is here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here.00:26 Breaking News: National Water Crisis01:18 Government's Water-Saving Advice03:13 Critique of Government's Digital Water-Saving Advice04:42 The Absurdity of Deleting Emails to Save Water09:36 The Bigger Picture: Personal Responsibility vs. Systemic Solutions12:46 The Role of Incentives in Public Compliance16:10 Personal Grievances and Weight Loss Journey19:40 The Impact of Drug Pricing on Health27:34 Potential Solutions for Affordable Weight Loss Drugs29:02 The Future of Weight Loss Drugs29:43 Global Patent Expirations and Market Impact30:14 UK's Patent Dilemma and Potential Solutions30:48 Economic Benefits and Unintended Consequences32:16 Housekeeping and Listener Engagement33:00 Substack Newsletters and AI Discussions34:38 Interview with Ruth Cadbury: Transport Issues43:17 HS2: Challenges and Future Prospects51:44 Autonomous Vehicles: Reality or Hype?55:35 E-Scooters: Legalization and Public Perception01:00:39 Conclusion and Farewell This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
Is AI actually a big deal or not? Following the launch of GPT5, James and Martin finally hash out the biggest unresolved tension on the podcast.Martin, an AI sceptic makes the case that the tech bro hype is out of control. And James, a wide-eyed optimist argues that actually maybe Large Language Models are a significant technology after all.Plus we talk about why the AI critics are so annoying, why Grok is the best manifestation yet of Silicon Valley’s id, and what AI means for abundance.No guest this week as the discussion goes too long!You’ll be able to find Martin’s post on Plato vs Grok here.James’s post on Sunday trading is here.You might also enjoy the post James mentioned on how AI is going to break schools, which can be seen here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
Plus is the government about to legalise e-scooters? And how did the government persuade the Daily Mail that it's a good idea? Plus we speak to Alistair Strathern MP about Old Bridge Way and what it tells us about the fraying social contract between politicians and voters.Martin’s big post on Old Bridge Way is here.James’s post on a similar mess in Kent is here.Martin’s post on “WASPInomics” is here.James’s post on what Ebbsfleet can teach the next generation of New Towns is here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here.00:22 Martin's Housing Estate Dilemma01:39 The Road Maintenance Conundrum03:29 The Story of Old Bridgeway06:22 The 1990s Expansion and Road Issues11:16 The Daniels Brothers' Scheme15:11 Council's Reluctance and Public Outrage19:34 Scooters: The Next Big Thing?28:36 The Legalization of Private Scooters: A Missed Opportunity29:39 Current Speculations and Government Stance31:08 Daily Mail's Surprising Take on E-Scooters31:40 Proposed Regulations for E-Scooters32:51 The Role of Local Authorities and Public Frustration33:53 Promoting the Podcast and Substack Newsletters35:29 Interview with Alistair Stratton: Local MP's Efforts38:56 Challenges in Local Governance and Public Discontent45:40 The Broader Impact on Politics and Social Contracts53:14 Engaging with Constituents: The Role of an MP55:52 The Planning Bill and Future Infrastructure01:00:02 Conclusion and Final Thoughts This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
Does the populist left believe in abundant energy and housing? Why was a major housing development rejected in Peckham? And we speak to former nuclear minister Lord Hunt of Kings Heath.You can find James’s piece on amendments wrecking the planning bill here.Martin’s piece on WASPInomics will be here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com